One of 3 computers fails to activate after upgrade to Windows 10 - error code 0xC004C003 (activation blocked).

I'm in the same situation as you.

I upgraded my Windows 7 ultimate to Windows 10 on the 4th (6 days ago) and since then it has been 'unactivated'

My previous windows WAS activated and had been for 2 years, so why is my 'free' upgrade not activated?

In the activation section of the settings window it shows the error code: 0xC004C003 and if I run slmgr.vbs /ato it says it my product key is blocked.

I even rolled back to W7 and checked that it was activated, then did the upgrade again, but it is still not activated.

I have spent hours on the Microsoft help chat and hours on the phone to customer support, technical support and the activation team and they are giving conflicting information.

Most of them seem to agree that this is a know issue and that they are working on it.

They have confirmed that my Windows 7 key is genuine but they wont say why I am having this problem or when it will be fixed.

All I have been told is to wait and it will "sort itself out", however I have not been able to establish a time-frame for this.

So far this upgrade hasn't been free due to the amount of time I've wasted chatting on-line or talking on the telephone to people who either haven't got a clue or who are withholding information (apart from the fact that they acknowledge that this is a known issue with some upgrades).

By the way, I contacted my PC manufacturer and they told me to contact Microsoft.

Come on Microsoft, stop hiding and let us know what is being done and when it will be resolved, is it days, weeks, months?

Thanks for your input PK... I cited your original post in my updates section in my initial post above.

I share your frustration.  After reading your post I'm wary of rolling back from Windows 10 to my original version of Windows 7 Home Premium, and then re-attempting to upgrade to Windows 10 again.  You, as well as other forum posters have tried this without success.

I also tried the "slmgr.vbs /ato" command and again get the same error 0xC004C003 which indicates "The activation server determined the specified product key is blocked".

However, when I try the command "slmgr.vbs /dli", it does not give me the same error, but instead returns me error 0xC004F034.  It seems inconsistent that I'm getting two different errors when using the "slmgr.vbs" command to "activate windows" versus "display license information".

I'm not against the "slmgr.vbs" command returning error codes.  However, in this day and age, wouldn't it be nice if error messages at least gave more information about the error and be proactive by providing contact information at Microsoft to help get a resolution?

Microsoft does a better job when verifying activation via the usual method (Start -> Settings -> Update and Security -> Activation).  If there is an activation issue, they at least make an attempt by telling us to  Learrn more about why you're seeing this issue.  This sends us to a Microsoft webpage titled "Why can't I activate Windows 10?"  Unfortunately, the information on this page doesn't even mention error code 0xC004C003.  So, the information provided proves rather useless in our case.

In your own post you mentioned "The trouble is that I cannot get any indication how long I should wait.

In 23 days I will no longer be able to 'roll back' - Then what?"  Until I read your post I totally forgot that activation is a timed event (on Windows 7 I believe it was 30 days).  Windows 7 clearly indicated the timeline and each day it would decrease the time you had.  Unfortunately, in Windows 10 thus far they don't do this from what I can tell.  So for all those customers having similar activation issues like ours... they are not being reminded by Windows 10 to activate.

If indeed after 30 days of not activating Windows 10 one cannot 'roll back' to their previous version of Windows and still not be able to activate Windows 10, there will probably be a backlash by all the affected users against Microsoft.

Wouldn't it make more sense if Microsoft just verified our previous version of Windows as valid, and if so, then do there modifications as necessary in the activation servers, so that we can get Windows 10 activated?  But instead, they put the burden on the customer and have them spend hours attempting to 'roll back' and try upgrading to Windows 10 again only to find out this process doesn't fix the validation issue.

Well, I may break down within the next week or so and attempt a "roll back" to Windows 7, that is  if Microsoft doesn't weigh in with a solution before then.

I hope the situation improves... soon!

Hi, yes frustration, that's an understatement.

For the record I tried "slmgr.vbs /dli" and got the same result, as you say, a different code to the one I get when running "slmgr.vbs /ato"

I can't remember how I did it but even found a script online somewhere that forces the activation code that you enter in the online activation window to appear. This didn't work either, got another error code.

Anyway, today I spent quite some time on the telephone. What a waste of time that was.

After being on hold for 15 minutes the first operator said he would pass me to tech support, then I was cut off.

I tried again and after being on hold for a further 20 minutes the line went dead.

On the third attempt I tried some of the other menu numbers to try to get through a different way, this time the automated system said I would be connected to the next available tech support person.

So after 2 hours I had to hang up as I needed to pee.

After this I thought I would try Twitter using @Microsoft, @MicrosoftUK and @MicrosoftHelps.

To begin with I got the usual suggestions and links to pages I've read umpteen times before.

They even had the nerve to suggest that I ring them :-/

Then I got a tweet from @Microsoft asking me to DM my phone number and e-mail. Sure enough about 30 minutes later I got a call from what he described as "the highest level of tech support".

Unfortunately I was at work and not in front of my own PC, I explained this but also that I should be able to answer any questions he may have as I know all the relevant info from memory now. I even had my W7 licence key written down and in my wallet just in case.

He admitted there was a problem and that I was not the only one and that they would try resolve it but I needed to be at my PC. He said he would call back when it would be convenient so I said after 18:00. He said he would call back between 18:00 and 21:00.

It is now 19:30, nothing as yet.

I will follow this up later, one way or the other.

If it's fixed and there is a solution I will let you know.

If he doesn't call back, twitter will go into meltdown.

Hi PKWorld,

Thanks for all your patience and the extra effort you're putting into trying to resolve this issue.

Yes, please let me know if you find something that avails a solution.

Thanks again!

BTW, it is somewhat surprising, given all the testing by the Windows 10 Insiders, that this activation issue (error code 0xC004C003) hasn't already been seen and addressed by Microsoft.

Have just got off the phone, tech support did ring back as promised and spent over an hour looking into the problem.

At first I didn't think it was going to be fixed but Arshad was persistent and we got to the bottom of it.

When I told him my original W7 product key he said that he could see that this had been blocked on their servers.

The reason he gave (I think I'm right in saying) was that it had been activated more than once.

However he was also able to tell from the activation code that the hardware was the same on each occasion, therefore it was clearly the same machine.

From this I assume that if you have re-installed your original version of windows, or installed it on a new machine, Microsoft's servers will recognise this and block it. Presumably thinking that the key was being used by multiple machines.

But he could see that in my case the hardware ID hadn't changed, therefore it was the same machine.

What he did was provide me with a new Windows 10 product key and now I am activated.

But it would seem that product keys are being blocked for simply having been used to do a clean re-installation, which doesn't make sense, so this is clearly something they need to look into.

Sorry there is no solution that I can pass on which you can do yourself, but at least there is an answer as to why this has happened, hopefully they will resolve this for everyone else who is having this issue.

Paul.

Thanks for the update PK.

I'm glad to hear you got your issue resolved.

Out of the 3 systems I've upgraded to Windows 10, 2 activated, one of which is a system I built and rebuilt several times.  That particular system has been through 4 different mother boards, and 4 different processors, as well as 3 different system discs, the latest of which is a Samsung 840 EVO SSD.  I used the same retail copy of Windows 7 Home Premium to reactivate after each hardware upgrade.  Interestingly, this Desktop with the most hardware changes and Windows 7 Home Premium activations upgraded to Windows 10 and automatically activated without issue.

The other system that upgraded to Windows 10 and activated automatically without issue is my lowly Acer netbook. The only hardware change it had was increasing ram from 1GB to 2GB (about 3 years ago I think).  

The remaining system, which upgraded to Windows 10 but DID NOT activate (error code 0xC004C003), is my Acer Aspire laptop.  As previously mentioned I made 2 hardware upgrades about 3 years or more ago.  Those changes included upgrading the Intel T4400 processor to an Intel P8700 processor, and upgrading the ram from 4GB to 8GB. The processor upgrade, as I recall, did require a reactivation of Windows 7 Home Premium.

I am sure ALL 3 machines had valid Window 7 activations prior to upgrading to Windows 10.

Of my 3 machines, it would be the desktop that I would have expected might have issues activating, since it had so many hardware changes.  Yet my OEM laptop is the one having Windows 10 activation issues.

Perhaps you can share with me which Microsoft number you called (the one that ultimately led to your solution).

Thanks, and again, glad you finally got Windows 10 activated.

As it happens they rang me.

I spoke with @Microsoft on Twitter and they asked me to DM my phone number and e-mail, which I did.

I was then telephoned by one of their Support Escalation Engineers, who connected to my PC and did some checks before checking my W7 product code and deciding that that was the issue.

Don't know if this helps...

Support Escalation Engineer

Global Escalation Services

Technical and UR T3

Office: +1 (425) 704-3638 Ext 2262023

Hours: Sun-Thu 7.00 AM - 4.00 PM PDT

My partner has an OEM laptop with W7 on and hers upgraded and activated automatically with no issues, my desktop PC was the problem.

The only change I've made to this was to add a larger SSD a few months ago. This was cloned with the original drive contents without any problems.

Hope you get your sort too, they must realise this is happening so should be looking to sort it out.

Thanks for the feedback PKWorld.

Although I'm a bit of a tech head, I'm behind the times in social media tools... never used twitter (say what?!).

It's all good... you've given me a starting point.

Thanks!

SOLUTION:

I should have updated this about 2 weeks ago, but got distracted by other pressing matters.

After filing 2 more service requests online, and having them disappear in the bit bucket, I called Microsoft support on the phone.

I very clearly expressed my dis-satisfaction with Microsoft Support up to that point, and explained what I had done thus far to try and get Microsoft to help me resolve this issue.

Well, this time my frustration did NOT fall on deaf ears.  They connected me to a support engineer who then went through the same procedure with me, that PK (an earlier poster), went through.

They accessed my system, and actually gave me a new Windows 10 product key.  After that, no more errors.

Finally got this thing resolved before 30 days had lapsed.

For those with the same issue I had, I would recommend calling Microsoft support on their 800 number and insist on speaking to a Microsoft engineer who can assist you with you product key problem.

Good luck to any others who have run into the same problem.